I looked at my father shivering in his bed. He slept in the guest bedroom terrified of hurting me or mom. I knocked and he rolled looking back at me.

"What Malikai?" He gave me my name because he said 'if a boy can have it so can a beautiful girl'.

"Are you feeling any better?"

"No." He said.

His hand reached out and of course I took it. I didn't fear him the cannibals that we knew roamed the land forced him to eat human flesh.

I climbed onto the bed sitting with his large hand around my small one.

"I wish you would feel better soon." I said and he smiled.

"I do too. How's mommy?"

"She worries about you. She says the bed isn't as warm." I explained and he chuckled. I loved his smile it was so white and made him look so handsome.

"How about your bed?"

"Jack Frost comes to nip at my nose every night." I said and laughed and smiled.

He slid his hand over my cheek. "I miss you." He said his smile fading.

"But I've been here all along. Daddy I check on you everyday when I get hone from school." I pleaded.

"I know but I miss being the father I was. Now I lay her looking at the ceiling or wall wanting to be with you." He told me. I laid down beside him moving close to his chest. He held me and kissed my forehead.

"I love you." I said and he squeezed me.

"I love you too." He replied and soon we were asleep.

When I opened my eyes I was in my bed with the teddy bear he got me for my third birthday. I squeezed it them ran to his room.

I opened the door it creaking. He was laying there just looking into a book about the tales of Wendigos. He was studying them to know what to do if he was ever attacked.

I crawled into the bed and he looked at me. "I moved you on purpose." He said.

"I know that's why I'm back in here." I said. He smirked.

"Still stubborn." He laughed and kept reading.

"Anything new?" I asked putting my hand on his shoukder.

"Nope all the same probably because I've already read this." I smiled.

"Can I read it?"

"Do you want to have nightmares until you die?" I shook my head. "Then no." I shivered and he smiled.

"That sounds terrible."

"It's the way of life. Now go to mom." I did as he said but I took the book and he noticed. I heard that little faint growl and started laughing.

"Hi mommy." I said and she looked down at me and smiled

"Hey wanna bring one to daddy?" I nodded and she gave me a cookie. I raced to his room and saw that he was gone. I went out to the balcony a snow storm already happening and there were his footprints in the snow.

"Daddy!" I screamed and that's when I heard the gunshot. I immediately went to my mother and told her. They never found his body or anything just the gun he used to shoot himself with.

I miss him everyday. My mother was cooking and then placing the plates when the house burst into flames. I say they killed off my father but now they were trying to kill us off then eat out cooked flesh and bones. She hid me and I found her apron still on her now lifeless body.

I sat beside her holding my father's book and screaming because my parents were taken away from me because of cannibals. I hate them.

I felt the cold rain hitting against my back making me want to snuggle with a blanket. It stopped and I looked at some tall guy. I hadn't eaten in about a week and I was all bones. He lifted me up and started walking away from my home of ashes.

His name was Alfred and he was a Wendigo. He never mind me reading the book or asking him questions I never saw him eat but he always got me fruit some how. I never complained.

His wife was a beautiful woman with long black hair she always braided it or let me. She would look over my shoulder at the book to see what the author said but it was amazing because she knew the author. He was actually her brother and I was amazed every time he came over.

Grey walked in and smiled at me.

"Hey malen'kiy monstr." I smiled at my nickname. It meant little monster in Russian.

"Hi Grey." He picked me up from my chair and put me in his lap.

"So what chapter are you on?"

"Twenty six but I'm super confused." He looked at the ceiling for a second as if to remember.

"Oh that if we went hungry some would kill each other for food." I looked at him in fear.

"Have you ever done that?"

"Nope." He laughed. "But chapter thirty seven is my favorite one because it tells how the Native Americans saw us." I lit up.

"I can't wait." I said. He was like my book guide. When I didn't understand something I'd ask him or Alfred they reminded me of actually twin brothers but they were only brothers in law.

I heard them talking and went into Alfred's office. I sat down and smiled.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"My son's coming back."

"Your son?! Wait why did he leave?"

"Yes I have a son and he left to train same as I did so he can take my place." He explained.

"What's his name?" I asked scared to have him here.

"Kyle. He's about your age but a year older and he's at the age where a Wendigo male sees a girl and has that reaction if they're mated for life."

"S-so he's coming back?" I asked.

"Yeah." I felt Grey's hand on my shoulder and looked up at him.

"I'll protect you." He said and I smiled.

"I will too." Alfred said and I smiled at him.

Honestly I was terrified. A young Wendigo a year older than me now living with us.

I stood behind Grey and Alfred they both looked high and mighty. The door opened and the winter breeze went against me. I shivered and the air was now warming up.

I heard bags hit the floor and then the sound of shoes hitting the floor. Grey held my hand watching him walk by. I watched both of my body guards watch his every move.

"Why the fuck do you two keep looking at me?" He growled. His voice was matured and damn did it make me shiver.

Grey noticed and squeezed my hand.

"Because I want you to sleep in the guest room." Alfred said.

"Um no." He said and I heard his shoes going up the stairs.

"Kyle I said no!" Alfred said going after him. We followed too. The room I was staying in had stuff in it. But I never did anything.

I walked him and the door I always opened was getting touched by his hands. He opened it and I shivered knowing all my books were in there.

He growled. "What the fuck did you do to my room?!" He yelled. I went behind Grey as he went over.

I finally got a good look at him. He had white hair and was tan like he sat out in the sun. He picked up my father's book and I just looked in fear.

"Wendigos? What is this some kind of joke why the fuck do I need to know this?" He looked at his father my eyes only on my book.

"Grey we have to tell him." Alfred said.

"No he'll do something I can't deal with that." Gray said.

"What are you two talking about?"

"Kyle I uh I've been raising a girl." I finally looked at his handsome face. His pale white ice eyes looking at him in shock.

"M-mom gave me a sister?" He asked.

"No I took her in. She was in the pouring rain and she wears contacts." He lied. I looked at him.

"Why?"

"Because she doesn't want to scare humans." He explained.

"Where is she?" He asked. Grey looked back at me. I nodded and pulled away. The two moved and he dropped the book once he saw me.

"I-I'm sorry about the books I'll move into the guest room." I walked up to him and picked up the book holding it. Then I stood looking into those pale frozen eyes.

I went over to the other and picked them up. He took them from me and put them down.

"No it's fine." He said acting like a gentleman.

"But it's your room."

"No it's fine." He repeated and I looked back at the boys who just shrugged.

"Honey is Kyle ba- Oh no." His mother said and we all looked at her.

"Right honey she's a Wendigo who wears contacts to get humans." Alfred said.

"Yes." She said and Kyle was walking over to the door. He closed it and then looked back at me. I shivered and moved back as he moved foreward. I hit the desk and he still kept coming.

His cold hand slid over my waist and I looked back at him. He smiled his sharper teeth out. I looked at him with fear in my eyes. So I have read in the book Gray wrote that when a Wendigo is in love they get their sharp teeth to mark the on they love so no other wendigos will be able to try to claim them. He moved closer and i pushed him away racing to the door and running downstairs. 

"Malen'kiy monstr!" I heard Grey yell. I didn't look back even at the sound of my Russian nickname. I stopped when I was grabbed by the strong arms of the Wendigo who took me out of the pouring rain and into a nice warm house where his wife accepted me as her own. I turned and put my arms around his neck put my forehead against his forehead.

"Alfred I can't be a fake wendigo it's not in my blood. I am happy human and I want to stay a human with you and Beth and I want to make you happy and keep your trust." I cried and he held me closer putting my head against his shoulder. 

"Malikai it's okay. You're okay. I never said you had to go through with it. I want you smiling and happy not crying because I said you should be a wendigo. I like you human and nothing is gonna change that." He said and I squeezed a big handful of his jacket in between my hands. "No matter what you will be seen as our hope and happiness between humans and wendigos. You are the only human I will except into this pack. Cannibals are excepted but you will be the only human that I except and protect." I nodded and smiled. 

"Thank you Alfred thank you so much." I cried in his ear.

"I told you whatI was thinking and I'm happy that it pleased you." I nodded.

"It does, it really does." He held me like that in the freezing snow keeping me warm and Kyle never came outside. He didn't even come after me once I ran it was like he didn't care anymore.

After a while Alfred took off his jacket and put it around my arms keeping me even more warm. I always knew that wendigos were seen in the snow and they loved winter but I never knew they were about to create their own body heat it was probably because they needed to search for food in the winter and also if they had to wait a long period of time just to have one bite or usually more. I had so much too learn.

Word Count: 2024 words